Ice the Tarbosaurus
by RoxyDog
Summary: Life isn't the greatest for Ice, she is the great-granddaughter of Speckles but her family's life is far from perfect, other predators keep the family moving from place to place. After Ice is injured and left behind to die she finds out her trail is unlike anything before her and she must learn how to survive every obstacle.
1. The Beginning

Inside a dark egg, a new predator was ready to see the world, but first, she had to get out of her egg. She bashed her head against the shell, sunlight filled the shell, giving the young dinosaur hope, she headbutted the shell again, breaking free from it, she lay in the nest, painting. The only other egg also started to break, she watched it from the ground, her brother soon joined her in the world, she nipped at him, she noticed that she had powerful hind legs, she wiggled her toes, it fascinated her, her brother watched her, just as fascinated. A warm breath blew over both of the newborns, their mother sniffed each of them, she was a blue color, her eyes had a kind shine to them. She gently picked them up, setting them down, the little female had figured out what her powerful hind legs wherefore, putting them under her, she pushed up. She was standing! Her brother mimicked her, they stood together, taking in their surroundings, she was fascinated, the forest loomed over her head, a breeze brought the scent of a near by river, she could even smell the salty ocean that lapped at the shore miles away.

"Hey! Claw we got siblings!" A teenage dinosaur roared, she ran over to the two newborns, the female stepped closer, curious about her sister "She looks like ice, you know from the frozen lake you fell through last winter" the teenager chirped, she was green, with dark green dots on her shout. Claw waked up, he was a light red, the sibling had yellow eyes, when the hatching looked at her brother, she saw he had yellow eyes too

"OK, that is enough" Their mother gently shooed them away "Go tell your grandfather" The adult laid down, she set her head on the ground. "I think I have a perfect name for you, little ones" she gently nuzzled the hatchings "I think it should be Ice, and your brother should be Slash. You two are very special, your great-grandfather was Speckles, he was a fighter, and you will be too" Ice and Slash looked at each other, they didn't know what their mother was talking about. The earth started shaking, the newborns hid behind their mother, three more dinosaurs like them, the tallest carried a herbivore carcase, he dropped it in front of Ice's mother, spotting the two hatchings he bent down, sniffing them, Ice thought it was a game and tried to claw her way onto his brown snout, he gently shook her off.

"Do they have names yet, Wake?" he asked Ice's mother, she nodded

"The blue one is Ice, her brother is Slash" Wake nudged both of them, in turn. Ice yawned, she wasn't hungry, not yet, at least. She let her hind legs fold under her, bringing her to the ground.


	2. Family

Ice chased after Maple and Claw, she hated being the youngest, her older siblings picked on her. This time they had stolen the pinecone she was playing with.

"Give it back!" Ice chirped "It's not funny!" She jumped at Maple, her sister had the pinecone in her mouth, she tossed it to her brother, they continued their game of keep away for a long time, until Claw accidently threw it into the late Cretaceous forest that surrounded their current clearing, Ice ran after it, it bounce along the ground before disappearing over the edge of a canyon, it wasn't deep and the adults could jump to the bottom, but for a young hatchling the canyon was too deep, she tried to stop, sliding close to the edge. Jaws closed around her and she was pulled to safety, her eldest sister set her down "Thank you, Ember" Ice chirped, Ember was a lot like Wake, she had become more protective of Ice and Slash, Ice remembered Flame, their father, telling her that she was just mourning the loss of her brother and sister, both of them were left behind when the family moved because of a sickness that made them to weak to keep up. Ice knew she never wanted to be left behind, even though her great-grandfather had fought for this land, they were still pushed down by the stronger rexs, the family was constantly on the move, or the rexs would find them, but it wasn't the only dinosaur they had to worry about, a small band of Albertosaurus had found themselves in this paradise, and they made it clear to the family of Tarbosaurus, they were stronger, and of course there were raptors, it was raptors after all that destroyed most of Ice's unborn siblings. A small shudder passed through Ice, she remembered when the Albertosaurus' attacked her dad, he managed to fight them off, but they tore off his arm, it's a constant reminder that the family isn't as strong as it was.

"Come on, Ice we should get back to the others" Ember started to walk away, her orange-black scales stood out in the green forest. Ice scrambled after her.

Ice was the first back. She looked around, spotting her mother, Wake, her brothers, Slash and Claw, her father, Flame, and her sister, Maple. She remembered three years ago, in a clearing that is now very far away, her grandfather, Speckles junior, he was the only other Tarbosaurus that made it from his old home, he used to tell amazing stories, about the journey, Ice never liked the part when his mother, Blue-eyes died, or when his sister was crushed when the tunnel collapsed. She remembered everything from that story, her favorite part was when Speckles and One-eye faced off, and in the end Speckles won. She recalled another story, about Dusty, Junior's mate, Wake was their daughter, Ice was fascinated by his stories, but he was killed when she was two, a pair of rexs found their current clearing, Junior had kept them busy, allowing the rest of them to escape. Ice sighed, in just three years her family went from ten to seven

"What where you thinking!" Ember growled, she glared at Maple "Ice could have died!"

"I was just having fun!" Maple growled back "You don't have to be so stuck up about it!" Ember snarled but turned away, not wanting to get into a fight with her younger sister. Ice noticed Slash sleeping in their mother's shadow, she creeped up on them, climbing onto her mother's back she pounced on her brother, he squaked in surprize, they rolled around, in a mock battle, like always Ice won, she stood over her brother, her foot firmly on his shoulder, she raised her head and roared in victory, her roar sounded much more like a squeak, Maple snickered. Ice whipped her head towards her sister, Maple used to be so nice, but their mother said she is growing up, and wanting to be herself, that is why she is acting so mean, and Claw will do anything she says, so they get into trouble, a lot.

"Maple! Claw!" Flame roared from the edge of the clearing "Get your tails over here! We are going hunting!" Claw quickly scampered over to his father, Maple smirked and turned her back, Flame snorted, he glared at his daughter "Maple, I said now!"

"No, I'm not going to hunt" Maple stuck her spotted muzzle in the air, Flame growled. Ice and Slash watched everything happen, Slash was stretched out on Wake's back, while Ice was sitting by a old, prey ribcage she had been hunting. Flame had enough with his daughter's behavior, charging at her, he grabbed her by her neck and dragged her to Claw, she kicked and struggled, screaming in pain, even though Ice couldn't see any blood

"Why is dad hurting Maple?" Ice wandered up to Ember

"He isn't, she's just trying to get her way" Ember nudged her sister "Dad isn't too happy with Maple at the moment" Ice nodded, she still didn't understand, but she was fine with that answer.


	3. Alone

Ice stalked through the forest, her family was counting on her to find dinner. Flame and Wake both decided she was ready to hunt on her own, the eight year old Tarbosaurus was eager to prove herself. Rain drummed on the ground, most of the undergrowth had burned away, a drought made everything dry, this was the first rain in a year, a few months ago a fire swept through this forest, with no vegetation to hold it in place, the soil became slippery muck. Ice stopped once again to shake mud off her skin, she sniff the air _This was a mistake, there aren't any prey around here_ She was about to turn around when a faint scent drifted past her, she sucked in a deep breath. FOOD! Following the trail it got stronger and stronger, a horned herbivore was grazing on the new plants that where just beginning to grow. Using the rain to disguise her sent, Ice snuck closer, when she was within striking distance she leaped, still not at her full size she was capable of attacking like a raptor, clawing at the other dinosaur's flesh she felt the warm blood trickle from the gashes she made, she loved the thrill of hunting. She also liked this part of the forest, it wasn't that abundant with prey so the other carnivores didn't come here, here her family was on top, it was wonderful, watching the small mammals scurry for cover every time one of them got close, she had even scared a raptor here a while back, she got distracted, thinking about it, she had sent the raptor wailing back to it's pack. The herbivore suddenly went limp, it fell to the side, Ice snapped back to the present, jumping off her prey just before it hit the ground, she slid in the mud, she hit her leg on a tree stump, falling head over tail she tumbled down a hill. She lay on her back for a minute, waiting for the world to stop spinning, rolling over she stood up, she had a few bruises, but mostly her pride was hurt, she stepped forwards, her right leg buckled, she cried out in pain as she fell again, forcing herself to stand she tried again, same result. Ice's shoulders dropped, rain pelted her, dripping off her snout and drooping tail, she knew her leg was broken, she could feel the two bone halves move inside her leg, she also knew that if she couldn't keep up with her family, they would leave her, to die. Taking a deep breath she gritted her teeth and limped towards her family.

"I've noticed that too, we need to move on" Wake and Flame were talking when Ice finally arrived, Wake looked up, she noticed her daughter was limping "Are you going to be OK?" Ice paused, she didn't know what to say, so she nodded. She limped over to a relatively sheltered spot. Slash trotted up to her

"Why do you look so sad?" Her brother asked

"I blew the hunt" Ice grumbled "I let myself get distracted"

"Oh, that sucks" Slash gave her a sympathetic look and trotted off. Ice noticed Maple and Claw walk up to their parents

"Mom, because Ice didn't bring anything back, can we go hunting?" Maple tipped her head to one side, Ice growled, she didn't know if Maple was trying to be mean or not. She glanced at Ember, the twenty year old was sleeping, she was an adult, and could leave the family anytime she wanted, but she stuck around, helping her mother with her four siblings.

"Yes, good thinking Maple" Wake nodded, she got up and walked over to Ice, the eight year old rolled over, so her back was facing her mom "Ice, is there something wrong?" She asked her daughter, she laid down, curling her tail around Ice.

"I just let you down, that is all" Ice grumbled, inching away from her mother, the pain in her leg was sharp and almost made her gasp for breath, she hoped if she ignored it, it wouldn't be a problem in the morning.

"Ice wake up" Wake nudged her daughter "We are moving today" Ice grumbled, she tried standing, her leg still didn't support her weight, it looked like it had swollen up during the night, it also throbbed. She growled, and limped to her brother, she nuzzled Slash, afraid this would be the last time she saw him

"Why are you so nice all of a sudden?" Slash asked "You normally wake me up, with a bite"

"I just wanted to be nice today" Ice shrugged, Ember walked up to her

"Ice, you're limping, are you sure you can make it?" Ember looked concerned

"Of course I can!" Ice snapped, she looked down "I mean, yes, and Ember, I want to thank you for looking out for me" She limped away, after she talked to Maple and Claw the family set off, she didn't have the chance to talk to her mom or dad, but then again, she didn't want them to worry.

"Lets go!" Flame roared, Wake passed him, leading her family, Flame took up the rear.

For the first few miles Ice managed to keep up, but slowly she fell farther and farther behind

"Wait up!" She called, she struggled to keep them in sight, Slash turned around, he tried to get to her but Flame nudged him on

"But Ice needs help!" Slash protested

"She would slow us down, now keep up or we will leave you behind too" Flame growled, Slash glanced over his shoulder but didn't try to go back again. To Ice it seemed like no one cared, she remembered the story about Ember's siblings _They were left to die because they couldn't keep up!_ Panic started to rise in Ice, she limped after her family

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" She continued to screech, but even running couldn't help her, her family soon disappeared "Wait…" Ice lowered her head, the sky was clear and the ground under her was hot, she was hot, hungry, and very thirsty, there was no water, or anything in sight. _I have to keep up!_ Ice followed their scent trail, limping heavily.

Darkness fell, and still her family was no where in sight, at least she saw a forest ahead. Abandoning the familiar scents of her family she limped into the forest, her broken leg bumped against a rock, she cried out in pain. After a few minutes she found a fallen tree, under it there was a small cave, it was just large enough for her, and smelled abandoned, she was stood at the entrance, torn, half of her wanted to keep up with her family, while the other half knew it was hopeless. Lightning cracked across the sky, followed by a earth shaking rumble of thunder, rain drops began to fall again, Ice made up her mind, she scampered into the cave, curling in a tight ball she tried not to cry, or draw attention to herself in any way.


	4. Important

Ice looked around, she was on a flat cliff face, it was nice and sunny, she stood up, to her surprize her leg didn't fail and she could stand.

"Welcome Ice" A voice behind her greeted her, she turned around, a adult Tarbosaurus stood before her, he looked like Junior, or Maple. A brownish Tarbosaurus stood by his side, two hatchlings played by their feet

"Who are you?" Ice asked "Where am I?"

"I'm Speckles, this is Blue-eyes and our children" The green Tarbosaurus nodded to his companions "We are where I grew up, where you would have too, if it hadn't been destroyed"

"Am I dead?" Ice asked, she shuddered, Speckles shook his head

"No, your not dead" As if on command, more Tarbosaurus appeared, Ice saw Junior, he looked young and healthy, a tarbosaurus that matched the description of Dusty, hatchlings joined the two in playing, four strangers walked up, Ice couldn't figure out who they were, Speckles noticed her confusion "This is my mother, my twin sisters, and my brother, Quicks" Each of them nodded, two teanangers also came forwards, Ice guessed they were Ember's siblings. Ice turned in a slow circle, taking in everything

"Why am I here, if I'm not dead?" Ice asked

"You allowed us to come to you, you needed us" Blue-eyes walked up to her "We should be asking you, why you're here" The Tarbosaurus sat down, all the others, except for the hatchlings, also sat down, they watched Ice, she felt out of place, she was a crippled eight year old, who didn't do anything amazing.

"I couldn't keep up with my, our, family, they left me behind" Ice blinked, trying to keep her tears at bay, she didn't was these legendary ancestors to see her cry. "I'm alone and I don't know what to do" To her surprize Blue-eyes nuzzled her, it reminded Ice of her mother.

"Don't worry, Ice" Blue-eyes smiled "Your path is hard but you wouldn't have it if you couldn't handle it"

"Your important, Ice" Speckles added,as the spirits started to fade

"No! Wait! Don't leave me alone!" Ice cried, she felt pinned down, the cliff began to fade, leaving darkness in it's place. Ice was falling through nothing.

She woke up, the sun was high in the sky, crawling to the entrance she stuck her head out, looking around, the forest was a lot like the one she lived in on her first few weeks of live. She heard something crash through the forest, ducking back into the cave she held her breath, a pack of raptors stopped in front of the cave, they had sented the crippled Tarbosaurus, one of them tried to get into the cave, Ice growled, she snapped at it, her jaws closed around it's head. The raptor screen was cut short as she crushed its skull. The other raptors ran off to find easier prey, without a second thought Ice tore into the dead raptor.

Ice laid her head on the ground, she stared out of the cave entrance, rain pounded on the ground outside, she had been stuck in the cave for two weeks. She survived off the small mammals or lizards that tried to seek shelter in the cave, she got water from a little pool just outside of the cave. Her ribs where beginning to show, and she always felt tired, the only good thing to come from not moving around much is her leg had mended itself, it still hurt but it would support her weight. _Now if the weather would clear up_ She growled, ducking back into the cave.


	5. Rex

Ice splashed through a creak, she looked around, now ten she was almost her full height, the only other predator she would attack where raptors, any others she would avoid the best she could. A squeal broke the forest silence, she perked up, her mouth watering as the wind brought the scent of fresh blood, but it also brought the scent of a tyrannosaurus rex. The tarbosaurus cautiously walked forwards, she saw a rex strike the finishing blow to a herbivore, he looked up, his muzzle streaked with blood, he was about three years older then Ice, he was a deep brown color, his underside tan, he had amber eyes, oddly enough he didn't have any scars, even thought it was clear he was the apex predator, Ice was drawn closer by the smell of fresh meat stepped into view, the rex wiped to face her, he growled

"Go away! This is my kill!" He snarled, Ice gulped, his teeth where sharp, she knew if she wasn't careful he could, no he would, kill her

"I'm not going to steal your kill" Ice chirped, she crouched down, submissively without letting her guard down. The rex snorted and returned to the kill, he seemed satisfied that she bowed to him "My name is Ice, what is yours?" Ice asked, trying to pass the time

"Rex" The T-rex gulped down some of the meat, he glanced at her, sizing her up. The Tarbosaurus was thin, bones stuck out from under her skin, the diet of rotten flesh and small animals hadn't been good for her. Rex tore off a huge chunk of meat, walking over he dropped it by her "You are too thin" He commented, returning to his kill. Ice eyed it, she didn't know if she should eat it or not, hunger took over and she pounced on it, gulping down the flesh in a few hungry gulps

"Thank you, Rex" Ice felt odd, she was thanking a rex, one of the most feared dinosaurs here. Rex shrugged, he didn't say anything.

Rex finished off his meal, the Tarbosaurus, Ice, was still watching him. She didn't seem to want to threaten him Good He growled to himself, he was the last T-rex in the area, his mother and father left after the fire a few years back, he didn't see them again, not that he had a problem with it, he liked being alone, all the other animals feared him, but he still did get lonely, it was nice to have someone around. With a full belly he got up and walked away, to his surprize, Ice followed him, he ignored her, if she wanted to follow him, then fine, he wasn't going to complain, but he didn't like it.


	6. Battle

Rex trotted through the undergrowth, Ice as always followed, she hadn't been much of a nuisance, she would disappear at night and return in the morning, Rex was beginning to get annoyed at her, at least she wasn't stealing his kills. Something moved in the water, he stopped, walking towards the bank, mud squished underfoot, a crocodile like jaw snapped at his snout, Rex jumped back, into Ice. He spun around, growling, Ice recoiled. He shook his head and turned back to the river, the dinosaur hauled herself out of the water, she was a Spinosaurus, she was a brownish color with a lighter underside, her sail had dull stripes of red and yellow, her eyes were a deep green that seemed to burn into Rex's skin, she was part of a dying species of theropod, they lived far, far away from where they are now, but some how this one found herself thousands of miles away from her home, she was hungry, the river was perfect for her, the only problem, it ran right through Rex's territory, and he wasn't about to share it.

Ice backed away, she didn't want to be in the middle of a battle against two powerful dinosaurs. Something jumped on to her, slamming her to the ground, it was too big to be a raptor before she could roar out, her muzzle was slammed into the dirt. Her attacker clawed at her back, Ice growled, jumping up she flung her attacker off, it was a Alioramus, about her age, he was a dusty orange color, oddly his tail tip was red, a scar on his lower jaw showed he had already been in battles, yellow eyes narrowed as he planned his next attack. He growled, circling her, he jumped again, this time she was ready, biting his neck she threw him into the Spinosaurus, knocking her off Rex. Ice walked towards the Alioramus, she snarled, the other dinosaur backed up Stupid dinosaur Ice smirked. Rex stood up, he growled his thanks, a deep cut ran down his back, the Spinosaurus recovered, she targeted Ice, the Tarbosaurus had stopped her from killing Rex. Ice didn't back down, the Spinosaurus towered over her, she could easily kill Ice with a single swipe, Ice roared, snaping her jaws together, creating a loud cracking noise, it was supposed to intimidate the Spino. Before they could fight, Rex shouldered his way between them, he growled at the Spino, it wasn't clear if he was protecting Ice, or just mad at the Spino. Backing off, Ice saw the Alioramus charge at Rex, she headbutted him in the chest, sending him into the river with a huge splash, he climbed out, dripping wet and mad. They wrestled on the ground, the Alioramus' hind claws raked down Ice's side, she tore off a chunk of flesh from his shoulder, they jumped apart, glaring at each other, their chests heaved as they panted, the Alioramus attacked again, he grabbed Ice by her neck and flung her into the trees, she hit one of the thick trunks, falling onto the ground, the breath was knocked out of her, the Alioramus stood over her, his jaws open wide.

Rex knocked the Spino to the ground, his toe claws digging deep into her side, the Spino kicked out, she managed to knock Rex's leg out from under him, the T-rex fell. It gave the Spinosaurus time to recover, but Rex was on his feet before she could injure him, he lunged at her throat, his jaws clamped together, tearing through skin and flesh, the Spino swiped at Rex, her claws tearing a nasty wound in his head, just above his mouth, Rex stepped back, he snarled, taking more steps back, his tail brushed against a tree, digging his toes into the ground he charged forwards, leaping into the air he came down on the Spino's head, his jaws locked around her jaws, she reared back, shaking her head back and forth, Rex was flung this way and that, but he kept his jaws locked, slowly his teeth began to slip, with a fierce swing, the spino threw Rex off, he flew through the air, landing with a soft thump, he didn't move, the spino carefully walked up to him, his eyes were open, but he didn't appear to be breathing, she roared in victory.


	7. Battle's end

Pain shot through the spinosaurus' forearm, Rex had grabbed it in his jaws, he jumped to his feet. With a fierce yank he tore the arm off at the elbow, the Spino screeched and backed up. Rex growled, every step he took closer, the Spino would take one back.

Ice backed out of the forest, leading the Alioramus back into the clearing, he was better at fighting in the forest, so drawing him away would give Ice the advantage. She had deep bite marks on her neck and snout, but her other wounds where just scratches. A shadow fell over them, the spinosaurus wasn't looking where she was going, her hind leg hit the Alioramus, they both fell over, the Alioramus was almost crushed, he managed to escape, but he seemed unbalanced, Ice attacked, her teeth sunk into his head, she tore out his eye, he screamed and ran off. Ice growled, she stalked towards the spinosaurus, Rex charged at her, his head rammed into Ice's side, she stumbled away from the Spino, just as she lunged, her crocodile like jaws closed around Rex's leg. The T-rex roared and ripped his leg free, blood splashed onto the ground, the Spino stood up, Rex lunged, gripping her neck in his jaws, he snarled and tore out the Spino's throat, the Spino tried to growl, but the only sound she made was a gurgling noise, as she choked on blood, she swiped at Rex, her claws scraped bone as they cut across the Tyrannosauridae face. Rex stepped back, the spinosaurus's chest heaved as she fought for air, blood poured out of her neck, and trickling from her mouth, the huge dinosaur collapsed, withering in pain, her claws scraping at the ground, pain and fear blazed in her eyes, Rex watched her slowly die, a cold fire shown in his amber eyes. As the sun began to fade, the Spinosaurus went limp, the scent of death started to cling to her body. Rex turned away from the dead dinosaur, he normally would have began to feast upon the corps, but he had to see if someone was still around, he spotted the Tarbosaurus that had fought alongside him .Ice was sleeping, blood was pooled around her, at first Rex thought she was dead but he saw the gentle rise and fall of her back as she breathed, he walked up to her

"Awake?" He nudged her, he could feel her bones under her skin. Ice opened her eyes

"Awake" She yawned, staggering to her feet, she shook blood off her neck, Rex sniffed the wound on her neck, it didn't seem deep, but he reminded himself she had no meat on her bones, so a simple wound would be worse. He nudged her

"Follow me, Ice" Rex started to walk away, Ice trotted after him, coming up to his shoulder, she matched her gait to his. The two Tyrannosauridae, a Tarbosaurus and T-rex, now friends, allies, because of a battle.

Rex led the Tarbosaurus to his clearing, on the edge, a small waterfall tumbled off a cliff, it fed a pool, silver fish swam about in the water. Ice looked around, her yellow eyes wide, she stepped onto the soft grass, it was surprising to her. Rex walked over to the waterfall, he disappeared behind it, Ice chirped, scrambling after the T-rex. Behind the waterfall, there was a large cave, a soft, sandy floor was much more welcoming then the hard mud she had been sleeping on, Rex was laying down, he was cleaning the deep wound on his back. She stood at the entrance

"You can come in" Rex turned away from his wounds, Ice stepped onto the sand, Rex moved over, giving her room, she laid next to him, he licked the wound on her neck, after a moment of pause, she began to clean the wound on his face.


	8. Aftermath

Rex walked over to Ice, she was sleeping in the sun, it was a day after the battle. Rex dropped the half-eaten carcass of a Pachycephalosaurus. The smell of the kill woke Ice up, she started to eat the Pachycephalosaurus, Rex watched her, she wasn't like the other dinosaurs he came across, it was odd to have a companion.

Once Ice was finished she walked over to Rex, the two friends greeted each other with chirps, Ice headbutted Rex's face, playfully, both of them were adults, Ice was eighteen and Rex was twenty one, they would be leaving their families, if they haven't done so already, but neither of them felt like adults, they still enjoyed mock-fights or just a simple game of tag. Rex jumped up, he and Ice circled each other, Ice was the first to move, she gently bit Rex in the shoulder, being careful about his wounds, he pushed her away. The two of them growled and hissed. Rex finally managed to pinned Ice down, he used his weight to keep her from escaping, Ice licked his shout

"You win" She chirped

"You're a strong opponent" Rex stepped down "But don't allow your enemy to fool you" Rex smiled, Ice nodded, a smiled spread on her face, Rex laid down, next to her, his mouth open a bit as he panted, beside him, Ice was also panting, the sun felt nice and warm on their backs. After a few minutes, Rex got up, he walked over to the pool of water, lowering his head he drank from the pool

"It's nice here" Ice rolled onto her back, enjoying the softness of the grass, Rex looked up from the pool, his mouth dripping with water

"Where did you live before?" He asked

"Everywhere, or nowhere, my family moved around so we never had a place to call home" Ice rolled back to her stomach "You're lucky to have this, I bet everyone wants to steal it"

"Not as many as you would think" Rex layed next to her "But if I'm lucky, then your lucky too" Ice tipped her head to one side "You can live here too, we are friends after all" Rex smiled

"You didn't have to share your home, I can take care of myself" Ice shrugged

"I know, but do you like it?" Rex nudged her, Ice shook her head, she hated being alone

"But you are the apex predator here, I'm just a scavenger, barely managing to survive" Ice sighed, she laid her head on the ground

"You not a scavenger anymore" Rex rested his head on hers, he felt something odd this close to her, he remembered his mother telling him about it, she called it love, _Do I love Ice?_ He questioned himself, _No, why would I?_ The scent of blood drifted into the clearing, Rex and Ice raised their heads "You think you're up for a hunt?" Ice froze, fear entered her eyes

"Yeah, I'm up for a hunt" Ice nodded, the two predators got up. Ice stood next to Rex, she was about five feet shorter, but next to the well fed T-rex she looked frail and weak, her ice blue scales showed her bones under them, her shoulder blades and hip bones where the most noticeable, the wound on her neck was scabbing over, they did look to be the same build, Ice, even if she was well fed, would have a lighter build then Rex, her snout was also thinner but despite everything her yellow eyes blazed with energy, she wasn't the curious, fearless hatchling, nor was she the crippled, terrified eight year old, she raised her head, confident in herself, and she knew her new friend would be there for her.

"Come on!" Rex started trotting away, following the sent. Ice quickly scrambled after him, both figures were soon lost in the shadows of the forest.


	9. Reunion with a twist

Ice splashed Rex, she was in the shallows of the pool, he hissed and backed up, it had been a month and a half since the battle, Rex had a scar across his face, but most of his other wounds disappeared already.

"Come on, Rex!" Ice chirped "Swimming is no fun alone"

"No! I don't like water" Rex growled, Ice climbed out of the water

"Fine" She rolled her eyes, she knew how to swim and liked it because when she was younger she would swim in the river that was close to the clearing she lived in, it helped her strengthen her leg, and the cool water felt good on a hot day

"I'm going to go hunting" Rex sniffed the air, he turned away and walked out of the clearing, Ice watched him go, after he was gone, she walked over to a small pit, inside was a small clutch of eggs, a few days after the battle with the Alioramus and Spinosaurus, Ice had laid them, in a month they would hatch, Ice keeped watch, already she lost three eggs to raptors, she wasn't going to lose the rest, even though Rex wasn't the eggs' father, he didn't seem to care. She saw something move in the forest, she growled, putting herself in between the forest and her nest, the figure stopped, and seemed to turn it's head, it was looking at her, she growled and attacked, she knocked it to the ground, it whimpered, she backed off, a familiar scent hit her

"Slash!" She chirped, she was happy to see her brother

"I-Ice?" Slash opened his eyes, a small trickle of blood ran down his neck, it wasn't a deep wound "You're alive!" He nuzzled his sister

"Of course I am!" Ice nuzzled him back "A broken leg couldn't stop me!"

"I hated that we had to leave you behind" Slash lowered his head "How did you survive?"

"I don't know, luck" Ice shrugged, Slash looked around her shoulder, Ice moved to block his view, still a little defensive about her nest. Slash backed up, he seemed to sense his sister was protecting something

"Ok, well I have to get back to hunting, our family still expects me to feed them" Slash started to walk away

"Wait! Slash, what has happened since I left?" Ice called him back

"Ember left a few years after you left, and Maple and Claw grew up" Slash walked back to his sister "We also have a little brother and two sisters"

"That is great!" Ice exclaimed, she was glad they weren't the youngest anymore "Where are you guys living?" Before Slash could answer a roar echoed through the forest

"That is dad's alarm call!" Slash turned around "There is danger" He started to run back, Ice glanced at her nest, she felt torn, she wanted to help her family, but she had her own responsibilities. Making up her mind she ran after her brother. _I hope I made the right decision_.

Rex growled at the intruders, the two oldest adult Tarbosaurus growled back, behind them two younger adults guarded the three hatchlings. There was another roar, Rex saw something come at him, another Tarbosaurus knocked into him, he staggered and turned to the newest Tarbosaurus

"Slash!" One of the older Tarbosaurus roared in surprize, he snarled and attacked Rex, knocking the younger T-rex off his feet "Leave us alone!" He roared, raising his foot, he got ready to crush Rex's skull, Rex rolled to the side, just in time. The Tarbosaurus seemed to be ready to finish him when something rammed into his side, sending the old Tarbosaurus down, Rex scrambled up, Ice was in front of him, she stood in between Rex and the Tarbosaurus

"Ice?" The other old Tarbosaurus seemed surprised to see her

Ice growled, she looked back at Rex "Don't attack them, please" Rex snorted, but didn't attack, Ice walked up to him, he had a bite on his head, and a few bruises but besides that he was fine, Ice nuzzled him

"They were trespassing!" Rex growled, stepping away from her, he glared at the intruders

"They are my family" Ice glanced at her family "Yes, they are trespassing but unlike us they don't have a place to live, I remember as a hatchling we never stayed in one place for long" She looked at him, her yellow eyes were unreadable, she walked over to the other Tarbosaurus', they greeted her with purrs and chirps

"Ice, you survived" Wake purred, she nuzzled her daughter. Without turning his back on Rex, Flame walked up to her, he nuzzled her as well. Ice nuzzled them back, she had missed them so much.

"I missed you" Ice purred, she glanced over at Rex, he was shifting from foot to foot, he seems uncomfortable and out of place, she felt bad for him, T-rexes were often told as being killers that didn't care about anyone but themselves, she knew that was a lie, she backed away from her family, though she loved them, she cared about Rex as well, she didn't want him to feel unwelcomed, brushing her muzzle against his chin she heard footsteps behind her

"What are you doing with that rex?" Maple hissed "Don't tell me, you like him!" A low growl escaped Rex's throat, he glared at the green Tarbosaurus

"He saved me" She growled "If it wasn't for Rex, I would be dead!" She glared at her sister, turning around to stand next to the T-rex, her head high, it was clear that if a fight did break out, she would against her family

"Because you are Ice's family, I'll let you share my territory" Rex growled, his amber eyes glaring at Maple "You can stay here, hunt here"

"How do we know it's not a trap" Flame snarled, Rex wiped his head towards Ice's father

"Does it look like I would set a trap?" Rex growled "Scratch that, I set traps all the time. Do you think I would want to kill Ice's family?"

"We can't trust you!" Flame growled, he was letting competition rule over his common sense "We are fine on our own!"

"Flame, Hail, Rain, and Snow are still young" Wake nuzzled Flame, she tried to calm her mate down "It's very nice of the rex to let us share his territory"

"Wake, you're right, we can't keep wandering around, it's not fair to the hatchlings to be forced to keep up" Flame raised his head, he glared at Rex "That is why I challenge him for the rights to his territory!" He roared, Rex roared back, his anger rising inside of him. Rex was much younger, but he didn't have that much experience in battle, to prove it, Rex only had the scars from the battle with the Spinosaurus, Flame on the other hand had a lot many of them looked like they were inflicted by T-rexes. Rex was also taller and stronger, if he wanted to the T-rex could seriously wound the Tarbosaurus, or worse, but Flame could also kill Rex if he wasn't careful, despite the danger, something inside Rex told him to fight for his territory, curling his toes Rex roared, he wasn't about to back down.

"No! Rex, please, you don't have to fight!" Ice stepped in his way, she looked up at him, her yellow eyes worried. _If he kills my father, my family will fear him, and they will never give him another chance to show he isn't like One-eye!_

"Ice, I can't" Rex gently nudged her to the side "If I want to keep our territory, I can't back away from this fight" Ice hung her head, she understood

"I know" She started to back away from the battle, her tail drooped, her eyes seemed dull

"I'll try not to kill your father, Ice" Rex called after her, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes brightened a bit

"Coward" Flame hissed "I'm going to kill you" he clawed at the ground, he almost seemed eager to start the battle. The two Tyrannosauridae males circled each other, Rex's tail flicked in anticipation, he snarled at Flame, making sure the Tarbosaurus saw his teeth.


	10. Territory

Flame and Rex charged at each other, they clashed, their heads slammed together, for a instance they looked like two Pachycephalosaurus fighting. Rex bit into Flame's snout, overpowering the old Tarbosaurus. Flame kicked Rex away, the T-rex stepped back, he jumped up and bit into Rex's neck, blood started to trickle from Flame's jaws, Rex screamed and fought Flame off, he jumped at the Tarbosaurus, biting into his shoulder, Flame tore free, he left a piece of flesh in Rex's jaws, he lashed with his claws, Rex snarled as Flame's claws tore off flesh, he hoped back, blood oozing from his side, Flame charged at him, he knocked the T-rex to the ground, Rex hissed, before he could get up Flame planted his foot on Rex's shoulder, his claws dug into the T-rex's skin, every time Rex tried to get up Flame's claws dug deeper into his shoulder, Flame bit down on Rex's neck, almost like he was trying to kill prey, the T-rex struggled, thrashing about, Flame's fangs dug into his neck each time Rex moved, Rex's claws scraped at the ground, throwing up dirt, his eyes burned with anger. Flame growled, his teeth dig deeper into Rex's neck, the Tarbosaurus was trying to crush Rex's windpipe or punctured an artery, Rex's struggling was making it easier, Flame looked up, his teeth had torn through skin and muscle, bone just showed under the blood, Rex's eyes rolled in pain, a dark pool of blood grew around his head

"Give up?" Flame snarled

"Ha!" Rex snarled, the T-rex spat blood at the Tarbosaurus, the red blood trickled from the side of Rex's mouth "I'll never give up"

"Fine" Flame hissed, he keeped Rex down, the blood from Rex's wound spread, it washed over Flame's foot, the T-rex was getting exhausted, Flame knew that if Rex didn't give up he would die, the wound on his neck was too deep for the T-rex to keep fighting. Rex snarled, he lifted his head, a smile spread across his face, a light blue Tarbosaurus barrelled into Flame, he stumbled back, releasing Rex.

Ice bared her teeth at Flame.

"Ice, stand aside and let me finish that rex!" Flame growled, Ice shook her head, turning around she knelt down and sniffed the wound, it was very bad and Ice was worried. Rex managed to get his legs under him, staggering to his feet he almost fell over, Ice stood in front of him, letting him lean on her. The T-rex shook blood off his head, regaining his balance, Ice slowly moved away, she nuzzled his jaw.

"This isn't your fight" Rex nudged her away, the movement made him grimace in pain "What about your eggs?"

"I'm not going to let you die" Ice glanced over her shoulder, Flame was pacing back and forth, he hopefully wasn't going to attack while his daughter was in the way "At least not at the claws of my father" She snarled, Flame snarled back

"That's it!" Flame roared, he charged at them, he shouldered Ice away, the young adult stumbled and fell, her previously broken leg buckled, she yelped in pain, though it had healed it was still tender and the fall caused small stress fractures to split throughout the bones, Flame headbutted Rex in the chest, the already weakened T-rex staggered, Rex glanced over at Ice, she had gotten up, but she seemed to be favoring her right leg, with her head down she limped away from the battle.

"You shouldn't have done that" Rex roared, anger pushed away the pain, he no longer felt his wounds, all he could think about was the battle, he charged at Flame, knocking the Tarbosaurus to the ground, Flame recovered instantly, he was getting cocky and didn't bother to attack, Rex snarled, he saw his chance and lunged at Flame, his jaws locked around Flame's snout, his teeth scraped across Flame's skull, Rex used his larger size to bring the Tarbosaurus to the ground. Flame shook his head from side to side, trying to break free, it succeeded and a dagger like tooth flew out of Rex's mouth as Flame broke free, the T-rex barely noticed, it would be replaced in a few days anyway. Flame roared as he realized he had misjudged Rex, he tried to bit Rex's snout, the T-rex dodged it just in time, the Tarbosaurus' teeth snapped down on nothing, Rex roared at clamped his jaws down on Flame's shoulder, he picked up the smaller Tyrannosauridae, Flame screeched as his feet left the ground, Rex slammed Flame to the ground, Flame screeched and hissed, Rex firmly planted his foot on Flame's head, grinding his opponent's muzzle into the ground "Give in?" He snarled, Flame glared at him

"I'll never give in" Flame snarled through a mouthful of dirt, Rex put more weight on the foot that was holding Flame down, Flame's skull began to crack under the presser

"Give in?" Rex repeated

"No!" Flame growled, Rex took his foot off Flame's skull, he didn't want to kill his opponent, not yet at least, the Tarbosaurus got up, he glared at Rex, he didn't know why the T-rex hadn't killed him. Rex scraped his claws against the ground creating deep grooves, Flame didn't have time to react, Rex barrelled into him, the Tarbosaurus was thrown against a rock, Flame had the breath knocked out of him, Rex jumped, his jaws closed around Flame's spine, if Rex wanted to he could kill his opponent right there

"Give in?" Rex snarled, he was done with the fight, one way or another he would end it

"I give in" Flame muttered, it sounded like each word had to be ripped from him, Rex let go of Flame's spine and backed away, the Tarbosaurus limped back to his family, bloody footprints followed him. Rex looked around, Ice had disappeared, her sent was also fading, he figured she left after Flame attacked

"Good" Rex snorted, he looked at the small family, the three hatchlings cowered in fear, they all had the same yellow eyes that he was use to seeing in Ice, but theirs were wide with fear, when he looked at them they backed away "I will still allow you to hunt here, if you want to" He turned around, limping away he went back to his clearing, where Ice was hopefully waiting for him, he had something to tell her.


	11. New life

Ice opened her eyes, it was dark out, something moved past her, it stopped, it's eyes reflected the dim moonlight, they blinked, looking at her. Ice stared back, she yawned, showing her teeth, the dinosaur in front of her stepped back, it ran off, Ice didn't care, she hadn't been able to rest the entire day, her worst fear was coming true, the wound of Rex's neck had gotten infected, the T-rex couldn't even get a drink with out pain, luckily he was getting better, the other wounds where healed, he could move around with little pain, even though Rex kept insisting he was fine, Ice knew that he was hiding most of the pain. It was two weeks after the fight, and Ice could sense her small clutch of eggs was due to hatch any day, so the soon to be Tarbosaurus mother had taken on all the responsibilities that she would normally share with Rex, she keeped the clearing safe as well as hunting for the both of them. Something hit her in the side, if felt like dirt, she snarled, it stopped for a second, before she could get to sleep she felt more dirt pelt her, followed by raptor chirps, something inside told her her nest was in danger, Ice snapped awake, a pack of raptors were scratching at the nest, she swatted one away with her tail, it fell to the ground and scrambled away, standing up she attacked them, forcing to back away from the damaged nest, one of the raptors tried to get around her, she snatched it in her jaws, it's screech was cut short as she crushed it with a massive bite, she dropped the limp body. The sound of the raptors screeching woke up Rex, he staggered to his feet, he joined Ice in defending the nest, the raptors began to back away, they knew it was impossible to fight two powerful predators at once, hissing at the two Tyrannosaurids, a bold, or stupid, raptor darted behind Ice, before she could react it grabbed one of the eggs out of the destroyed nest, Rex was the closest to the thief, he lunged, grabbing the raptor in his jaws he kept it close to the ground , it kicked out, the killing claw re-opened the wound on Rex's neck, blood and pus trickled from the wound, the T-rex snarled, he crushed the raptor in his jaws, the egg fell from it's limp arms and was almost crushed by the raptor's body when Rex dropped it. For a minute Ice turned away from the raptors, she picked up the egg, her tongue rolled it around inside her mouth, the egg was intact, Ice sighed with relief and placed it back in the nest. With two members of their pack dead the raptors turned tail and ran back into the forest, Ice was about to make sure they were gone when Rex got in her way

"You need to rest, I'll go cheek" He nudged her back

"But you-" Ice tried to protest

"I know I'm hurt, but you need rest, it's not good for either of us if you wear yourself out, plus, it's time I stop sitting around" Rex licked her snout

"Fine, but please be carefull" Ice nuzzled him, he nodded and disappeared into the forest, Ice turned around, the raptors had made a huge mess in the clearing, dirt was scattered around the nest, the protective walls where completely destroyed, bits of twigs scattered around the clearing, the two dead raptors lay in blood _Well it looks like I'm staying up also, at least until the nest is safe again_ She began to clear away the broken twigs and clumps of dirt _I wonder why the raptors are coming after us so often, it's not like they are starving_ Ice growled, she remembered a few days ago, she had seen a pack of raptors stuffing their face with meat from one of her kills, she growled to herself, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, looking over she saw nothing _Odd.._ She shook her head and continued on cleaning up.

"Let me go!" Ice looked up, Rex walked into the clearing, a raptor struggled in his jaws "I'm not afraid of you, carcass-breath" It hissed glaring at Rex

"Why did you bring a raptor here?" Ice chirped, her head to one side, Rex dropped the raptor onto the ground, it landed with a thud, he stood on it's tail so it couldn't escape

"The stupid thing ran into a tree, and I thought it would be a good idea to set an example to it's pack" Rex glared at the raptor "They should know not to mess with us" Ice nodded, she liked the idea

"Ha! My pack will not care!" The raptor squaked, it tried to twist around and bite Rex in the foot, the T-rex smirked, an evil gleam shown in his eyes, the raptor snarled at him "Just you wait! My pack will destroy you!" The raptor hollered. Rex put all his weight on the foot that the raptor's tail was under, the raptor squeaked in pain as the it's small tail bones were crushed, Ice noticed shadows slinking around the clearing, the disgusting scent of raptors hung in the air

"Looks like the pack is here" She hissed to Rex

"Show time" He smirked, he took his foot of the raptor's tail, he watched the raptor almost reach the forest before grabbing it by it's wounded tail, he threw the raptor into the air, it flailed around, it looked like it was trying to fly

"AAAAAAAA!" The raptor screamed as it plummeted towards Rex's open jaws, the T-rex snapped his jaws down on the raptor's leg, the force of the bite splintered it's leg, the raptor thrashed about, trying to claw at the wound on Rex's neck, the T-rex shook his head from side to side, the raptor was snapped back and forth, it's cries echoed through the forest, Ice grabbed it by it's arm, it's claws scraped her chin and tongue but it's attacks were weak and didn't break the skin. Rex nodded, the Tyrannosauridae took a step away from each other, the raptor screamed, it was slowly being pulled apart, the skin below it's ribcage began to tear, blood dripped to the ground, with a flick of her head Ice tore the raptor in half, blood splattered on the ground, she dropped the top half of the raptor, it's dead eyes open wide, it's face permanently frozen in a screem, Rex dropped the lower half, the tail twitched then was still, Rex snorted, shaking his head, he lifted his head, smelling for the other raptors. Ice looked at the forest, the shadows were gone, the raptor sent wasn't as strong as the scent of fear.

"They will not be back soon" Rex purred, he nuzzled Ice

"Lets hope so" Ice nuzzled him back, together they went over to their usual sleeping place, Ice heard something that sounded like it was coming from the nest, she looked into the nest, she heard a tiny squeak inside. "Rex" She raised her head, the T-rex was laying down, when Ice called his name he looked up "Come here" Rex got up and walked to Ice

"Is there something wrong?" Rex tipped his head to one side

"I'm not sure" Ice started to uncover the nest, exposing the three eggs, she sniffed them, noticing a small crack on the side of one the eggs shell, she leaned in closer, the egg didn't smell dead, nor did it look like it was damaged by raptors, the squeak came again, Ice brought her head up, she let Rex inspect the nest as well, he raised his head and nuzzled Ice. The egg began to shake, more pieces of egg began to fall off, the other two eggs also began to show cracks, Ice layed down next to the nest, her eyes trained on the three eggs, Rex laid behind her, resting his head on her back.

The shell of the eggs fell away, the first hatchling was dusty brown, his tail tip was red, Ice looked down at him, something about the newborn stirred memories she had tried to forget, the hatchlings looked up at his mother, he squeaked, and Ice shook her head _No, I'm not going to think about it_ She nudged her son, he squeaked again, he rolled onto his back and Ice nuzzled him, the other two eggs started to break as well, the hatchling rolled over, he seemed to know what to do and stood up without help, unsteadily walked over to one of the other eggs he sniffed it, when his sibling poked her head out he jumped back, falling over his tail. His two sisters broke free, they were the same blue with tan stripes, all three hatchlings looked like Tarbosaurus hatchlings, with a round head and small, chubby body, none of them had the sleek head and body of a T-rex hatchling. Rex sniffed the hatchlings, the oldest stared up at Rex, the tiny hatchling squeaked, he tried to jump at Rex, his sisters joined him, Rex drew back, he seemed unsure what they wanted. Ice stood up, she walked over to one of the raptors that had been killed in the initial attack, she picked up the limp body, bringing it back to the nest she dropped it by them, the hatchlings jumped back, they slowly approached the corps, they looked up at their parents, Ice purred and nodded, the adult Tarbosaurus laid down next to her mate, Rex nuzzled her jaw. The oldest was the first to figure it out, he let his instinct guide him, he jumped onto the raptor, he tore into its underside, were the flesh was softer, his sisters joined him, the three hatchlings filled their bellies with the flesh of the raptor that almost killed one of them. Once they had their share they curled up together, the stars shined down on them. Ice nuzzled all three, one of the females looked up and yawned, she sleepily rubbed her small head against her mother's muzzle. For that night the family slept under the starry sky, now that the hatchlings were born the family would return to the cave behind the waterfall to keep the little theropod babies safe.


	12. Rex's history

Rex twitched in his sleep, he was standing in a forest, the trees seem to tower over him, the sky was dark with storm clouds, the T-rex snarled, he didn't like this place. Something moved at the edge of his vision, whipping around he saw another T-rex, they were the same height, the other T-rex looked older, he had red scales on his back, scars from many battles covered his flanks, a scar across his face gave him a evil look.

"Who are you?" Rex growled, he was unnerved by how much this T-rex looked like him "Where am I?"

"How dare you!" The T-rex roared "You helped the great granddaughter of my rivel!"

"Who are you" Rex roared again

"How do you not know me?" The T-rex seemed surprised "I'm your grandfather"

"I guess no one bothered to tell me" Rex snarled

"Good!" The T-rex snarled "I never would be related to a rex that helped a Tarbosaurus!"

"I don't see your problem!" Rex roared "Ice is fine, I'm glad I helped her" The T-rex changed at Rex, knocking the younger dinosaur down

"Niceness will get you no where!" The T-rex attacked Rex, the younger T-rex couldn't keep up with the older, more experienced T-rex, each time he attacked, the T-rex met his attack with a more powerful blow, it was almost impossible for him to fight "It's to bad I can't kill you" The T-rex growed

"Yeah, to bad for you" Rex snarled, stepping back

"You should follow me, I'll teach you how a true rex lives" The T-rex growled "But first you need to kill that Tarbosaurus, and those pathetic hatchlings"

"Are you really that stupid! I would never follow you, I'm going to live life my way!" Rex curled his toes, he was getting mad "And I would never kill Ice, or our 'patherict' hatchlings" The T-rex growled

"I guessed that you wouldn't want to" He snarled, a squeak from behind Rex made the Tyrannosaurids turn around, the oldest hatchling looked around, he seemed scared "So I'll show you what will happen if you don't" He charged at the hatchling, Rex tired to attack but something was holding him back, Rex watched the T-rex grab the hatchling, he threw the hatchlings against a tree, he fell to the ground, and didn't appear to be alive

"No!" Rex roared, suddenly being able to move he charged at the other T-rex, his head collided with the T-rex's shoulder, forcing the older Tyrannosaurids to stagger away, Rex crouched down, he sniffed the hatchling, it didn't smell alive, it didn't even smell real. Rex stepped back

"What kind of trick are you playing" He growled, glaring at the other T-rex, the red T-rex smirked

"No trick, I wanted to test you" The T-rex smirked, he suddenly seemed nicer "My name is One-eye by the way"

"I could have guessed that" Rex snarled, he wasn't going to be fooled again

"You don't have to act so hostile, I was only testing you" One-eye stepped closer to Rex

"Yeah, I'm not falling for the 'I'm nice now' trick" Rex growled, One-eye glared at him

"Fine" He growled

"Now leave me alone! I'm not going to be like you, nor am I going to let you hurt my family" Rex roared, One-eye snarled, the T-rex started to fade, so did the forest, before One-eye was completely invisible he lunged at Rex, Rex jumped back, One-eye's teeth just missed his eye "I'm not going to be like you" Rex repeated, he growled at the fading figure

"We'll see" One-eye muttered before everything disappeared.


	13. Alioramus

Lightning tackled her brother, Storm, he squeaked and tried to fight her off, they tumbled into Ice. She was watching them, all three hatchlings had names relating to the thunderstorm that happened a day after they hatched, Thunder, the other female, was sneaking up on her sibblings. The three hatchlings were a week old, their personalities were beginning to show, Thunder and Lightning aren't as adventurous as their brother, but they made up for it with their strategic planning, they would often set traps for their brother. Storm was adventurous, he was getting into trouble whenever Ice or Rex wasn't looking. Ice smiled, Thunder pounced on Storm, he squeaked in surprize, shaking his sisters off he scrambled onto his mother's back turning around he hissed at his sisters, they scrambled after him. The three hatchlings attacked each other in a play fight, they tumbled off Ice's back, Storm jumped away from his sisters, they chased after him, they ran all around the clearing, Storm tumbled over one of the old eggshells, his sisters jumped onto him and they rolled around, in another fight, Storm yelped as Thunder bit his snout to little to hard, Ice stood up, she walked over to them, nudging Thunder and Lighting off Storm she licked the hatchling, his sister didn't break the skin, but their sharp little teeth did make little groves in his muzzled, it would sting for a bit. She picked up Storm in her jaws, with Thunder and Lightning following her, Ice put Storm down in the middle of the clearing, he was still whimpering, Ice licked him and laid down next to the hatchlings, Storm looked up at her, for a hatching that never got hurt before he was taking it well

"I didn't mean to hurt Storm" Thunder scrambled onto her mother's back, she looked worried

"It wasn't your fault" Ice nuzzled Thunder, the little hatchling chirped

"He just wants attention!" Lightning joined her sister on Ice's back, she glared down at Storm, Ice smiled and rolled her eyes

"No I don't!" Storm squeaked "My snout really hurts!" Ice purred and nuzzled Storm, he yawned, his sisters did too, they slided off Ice's back. Thunder and Lightning curled up by Storm, the three hatchlings curled close to Ice, she tucked her tail around them, the mid-day sun was warm, it made her drowsy, she was tempted to sleep, shaking off the drozyness, she knew she had to stay alert until Rex returned from hunting. Ice didn't want to let her guard down, the warm weather had made drawn out all the predators, with the hot summer months much of the herbivore dinosaurs as well as the small mammals were everywhere, after Rex and Ice had killed the raptor, it's pack had stayed away from them, but that doesn't mean all the predators stayed away, just three days ago, Ice saw the Alioramus that had attacked her when the Spinosaurus attacked Rex, it had almost been a two and a half months since the battle, the wounds had healed, even thoght scars still showed on both Rex and Ice. She glanced at the forest, Rex should be back soon, something moved in the forest, Ice got up, she didn't think it was Rex, he never tried to sneak up on her, she turned to her hatchlings

"Wake up" She nudged them, Storm grumbled, none of them woke up "Come on, up" She nudged them again

"Why?" Thunder yawned, she blinked and stood up, her siblings stood up alongside her, they all looked tired

"I'll tell you latter, just go behind the waterfall" Ice picked the three of them up, the week old hatchlings were still small enough for Ice to carry them all in her jaws, she walked over to the waterfall, she set the hatchlings down, they scrambled into the cave, Ice turned around, she kept herself between her hatchlings and the forest, the shadow in the forest growled, Ice stepped back, she remembered the Alioramus from the battle, his growl sounded just like the one the dinosaur in the forest was making "Show yourself!" Ice growled

"How about you come here" The dinosaur snarled back, they were trying to get her away from the clearing, she snorted _Not a chance_ She flicked her tail, her eyes locked on the shadow in the forest

"No" She hissed, the dinosaur hissed back

"Fine, then I'll make you" The dinosaur stepped out of the forest, Ice growled, she recognized it immediately, she knew he would come back, it was the Alioramus, Ice smirked when she saw that half his face was torn away, he was now smaller then Ice, but during the long ago battle they were just about the same size, the Alioramus' markings matched Storm's, right to the red tip of his tail. Ice narrowed her eyes "Why are you here?" She hissed

"I've come to finish the job" The Alioramus stepped closer to her, Ice held her ground, if anything she wasn't going to let the Alioramus kill her hatchlings.

"You can try" Ice bared her teeth in a snarl

"Don't speak so soon" The Alioramus growled, he lunged at Ice, she headbutted him in the chest, knocking him away from the waterfall, the Alioramus landed in the dust, he scrambled up, and lunged again, this time he managed to dig his jaws into her shoulder, a moment of panic surged through Ice, it was the river side battle all over again, but if she couldn't get him off he would kill her. Ice kicked out, her claws tore into his skin, forcing him to step away, Ice didn't attack, she was just defending her hatchlings, and the last thing she wanted to do was let herself be drawn away from them. The Alioramus lunged but stopped at the last moment, a fake lunge, Ice snarled, she knew that move, and she wasn't going to fall for it, the Alioramus was just trying to get her away from the clearing, so she would be trapped in the forest, were the smaller theropod had the advantage, out in the open, Ice didn't have to worry were she was standing, but in the forest, each step had to be taken carefully, or she could trip, and in death battle, if you fell, you were dead.

"Who is that?" Storm asked, he was watching the battle from just in front of the waterfall, the Alioramus looked around her, he saw the hatchling, a wicked grin spread across his face

"You didn't tell him about me?" The Alioramus glanced at Ice

"I told him about the battle, that is all he know" Ice stepped to the side, blocking the view of the hatchling, the Alioramus roared and charged at Ice, he was aiming for her neck.


	14. Not so happy surprize

Jaws closed around the Alioramus' neck, preventing him from reaching Ice. Rex dragged Alioramus away from her, the Alioramus struggled, he managed to twist free, turning to face Rex, the T-rex snarled, he circled the Alioramus, blocking the way to Ice and the hatchlings, the Alioramus stepped back, he wasn't as strong as Rex, but he was faster, if he managed to get Rex off balanced he could get behind him before he had time to react, but Rex wasn't going to let it be easy, he would rather die then let the Alioramus get to his family, the two snarled at each other, the Alioramus lunged he tried to get around Rex, the T-rex reacted faster then the Alioramus expected, he was lifted off the ground as Rex grabbed him by the neck, the T-rex threw his opponent a few feet away, the Alioramus landed with a hard thud, scrambling up the Alioramus stepped away from Rex, he tried to retreat but it was too late, Rex attacked, his jaws locked around the Alioramus' neck, again. Rex bit down with more then twelve thousand pounds of force, crushed the Alioramus' spine, the smaller dinosaur slumped to the ground. Rex coldly stepped over the corpse, without a glance at the body, he walked into the forest, returning a few moments latter, with a Protoceratops carcass. The hatchlings could smell the kill, Storm was the first to leave the cave, standing behind Ice he looked around, his sisters followed him

"Are you OK, Ice?" Rex set the Protoceratops down, he nudged it towards the hatchlings, they squeaked and rushed towards the kill, falling over each other trying to be the first to eat.

"Yeah, I'm fine, you saved me once again" Ice nuzzled Rex, she smiled

Ice looked down at the three hatchlings, they lay in a pile next to her, the soft sand of the cave felt nice after a hot day, it was the night after the Alioramus attacked, she looked over at Rex, he slept by the entice, his chest rising and falling steadily. Ice curled her tail around the hatchling, the dim moonlight shined through the waterfall, giving the cave a dreamlike feel, it was peaceful, Ice laid her head on the sand, she closed her eyes but sleep didn't come. She felt someone nudge her

"Let me sleep, Rex" She muttered, she shifted and to her surprize she didn't feel the hatchlings next to her, snaping awake, she found herself on the sunny clift, her ancestors around her, she noticed a new one, Ice recognized the orange-black scaled Tarbosaurus "Ember!" Ice gasped "W-why are you here?"

"I drowned" Ember lowered her head "I didn't even see the water coming" Ice shivered, she knew that flash floods could be very dangerous

"So why am I here?" Ice asked, she looked around, the last time she had seen everyone was the first night after she broke her leg, she saw one or two in other dreams, they would answer questions, or bring her news. All of them knew Rex was her mate, many of them didn't approve, Speckles was one of them, Ice hoped that they would all trust the T-rex, but she didn't blame them for not, after all a T-rex was the reason so many of them were hear.

"I need you to do something for me, Ice" Ember looked behind her, a newborn Tarbosaurus lay curled up under a bush, she had a interesting red flame pattern on her face "This is my daughter, I managed to save her from the flood, but she is lost, and alone, her father and siblings have moved away, they don't think she is alive so they don't bother looking for her"

"What am I supposed to do? Find her father?" Ice tipped her head to one side, Ember shook her head

"I want you to take care of her" Her sister looked down at the sleeping hatchling, her eyes filled with sorrow "You know what it's like to be alone"

"But I have a family! I can't leave my hatchlings to go after yours" Ice stepped back "Plus I have a rex for a mate"

"So? He has proven himself to be trustworthy" Ember looked back at her younger sister, she seemed to be begging Ice to help her "She also isn't that far, the flood that killed me ran down the same river that goes into the pool in your clearing" Ember's shoulders slumped "But a raptor pack is closer, they are closing in on her by the minute" Ice still didn't agree, she hated the thought of a helpless hatchling being attacked by raptors, but her own family need her and she couldn't just leave the hatchlings alone, they were too young "Please, Ice. I miss her a lot but I would never want her to join me here"

"Fine, I'll go for her tomorrow" Ice sighed and nodded, Ember wouldn't lie, the hatchling was close, she looked at the image of the hatchlings, trying to remember everything about the surroundings "She has a name, right?"

"Yes" Ember nodded "Her name is Wildfire"

"Mommy, do you have to go?" Storm tipped his head to one side, he still looked tired, the sun was just rising in the distance and it was early for the hatchling to be awake.

"Yes, but I'll be back before you know it" Ice nuzzled the top of Storm's head, she looked up, Rex was standing a few feet away

"Be safe" Rex nuzzled her as she walked up "I know how important family is to you" Ice nuzzled him back

"You know I'll be safe" She purred "I'll see you soon"


	15. Wildfire

Something greyish fell on Ice's nose, it was strangely not cold, even thought it looked like snow, Ice shook it off, more of the strange grey snow was falling all around her, with it, was the scent of fire. Ice looked around, nothing moved, only the grey snow fell, the temperature fell quickly as the sun was blocked from view, Ice shivered, the twenty year old Tarbosaurus knew what was falling from the sky, it wasn't the first time, this odd snow like stuff was spewed from a volcano when it erupted, by itself it was harmless, just a nuisance for large animals like herself, but the clouds that gathered with the ash keeped the sun from shining, even in summer. The longest ash storm Ice had witnessed lasted a week, but there wasn't any noticeable long term effect, some plant life wilted and the prey became scarce, but it all returned a while latter. _But if it gets any colder, Wildfire may freeze!_ She shivered again _If raptors don't find her first_ Ice sniffed the air, the distinct scent of raptors was fresh, she growled and hoped the raptors hadn't already found the newborn. Ice walked on, the ash was getting slightly deeper but it barely slowed the Tarbosaurus, she shook her head, ash fell from her snout, as she made it to the top of the ridge she saw raptors closing in on a bush, Ice roared, she half-slid, half-ran down the hill, the raptors looked up, it was clear they weren't the same pack that lived around the clearing, they didn't scatter at the sight of Ice instead they hissed at her, Ice growled back, she kept walking forwards, confident in her strength, bones crunched under her massive foot as she crushed one of the raptors, she smirked, walking over to the bush the raptors were closing in on, she stood over it, glaring at the raptors.

"Move!" One of the raptors hissed "You're not going to stop us from eating that little dinosaur!" Ice growled, she knew she was outnumbered, it reminded her of the story Junior told her about his mother's, death, they had been surrounded by more raptors then this, she glanced from side to side, she would be able to fight them off, but Wildfire probably couldn't keep up though, and if she was weak, she may even have trouble walking, Ice may have to carry her, and that would limit her fighting capability, she would have to run for it, she was too big for the raptors to swarm over. Ice quickly spun around she tore away the bush, Wildfire was curled up, she was hiding her face under her tail, she nudged the hatchling, Wildfire didn't move, but her eyes opened, Ice picked up the little Tarbosaurus in her jaws, surprised how light she was, Ice saw the raptors out of the corner of her eyes, they were about to attack, Ice turned around, she quickly scrambled up the slope, stopping at the top she glanced back, the raptors were close behind, spinning around, Ice carefully picked her way down the hill, trying not to hurt Wildfire, or herself. The ash was still falling, Ice had to go slower, making sure she didn't trip over something covered by ash, the smaller more agile raptors were quickly gaining on them A little farther, then we will be safe Ice didn't dare to look back, the sound of the raptors squawking behind them was enough to keep her running, she wasn't scared of them, she was scared she wouldn't make it in time, Wildfire got colder and colder by the minute, the little hatchling was limp in Ice's mouth, Ice crashed through a log, it slowed her slightly, a raptor managed to claw at her tail, she could feel blood run down from the wound. Suddenly the raptors stopped, Ice could hear them retreating, but she didn't turn around, she knew she was close, just a few more minutes.

Rex snorted, the ash cloud was unusual, for the hatchlings it a strange new thing, the only thing they knew was rain, the ash was slowly building on itself, the hatchling played around in it. The ash was already up to Storm's knees, so the hatchlings had to jump through the ash. Rex watched them, even though nothing was a danger at the moment, Rex knew that for week old hatchlings deep ash could be deadly, he keeped them away from the deeper piles. Thunder and Lightning decided to play a new game, digging up some of the scarce prey bones that were in the clearing they piled up ash and using the bones they flicked the ash at Storm, he squeaked and ran behind the adult Tyrannosaurid, he shook off the ash that clung to his sides.

"Come on, we can get them back" Rex nudged Storm, the hatchling eagerly nodded, he jumped through the snow, finding a bone he brought it back, Rex was already gathering up the ash, Storm flicked it at his sisters

"That isn't fair!" Thunder dropped her bone "You got Daddy's help!" Storm flicked ash at her, it hit the pile in front of her, causing a small slide, Thunder squeaked as she was half buried in ash, Lightning jumped over to her, using the bone she had to dig her sister out, Thunder stood up, she shook the remaining ash off her, the sisters retreaded out of reach of their brother and father, they chirped to each other, turning towards their family, Thunder and Lightning leaped at Rex, Thunder grabbed one of the discarded bones and flicked ash at him and Storm, the ash fell from Rexs head, the T-rex felt something on his back, Lightning was standing on his back, she growled at him and bit his back, she was too little to hurt, but Rex still roared in mock pain, Lightning looked up a little surprised, Storm leaped at her, taking Lightning off her feet, the two siblings fell into the ash, Thunder joined them, they rolled around, nipping at each other, Storm jumped away from his sisters, they growled at each other, the three circled each other, but instead of attacking, they turned to Rex, the T-rex played along, acting scared

"ATTACK!" Storm roared, he leaped at Rex, his sisters followed him, they clawed at Rex's shoulder and neck, dramatically Rex rolled on to his back, the hatchlings stood on his chest, Storm roared "We won!" He declared

"Yes, you three are too powerful" Rex smiled, Storm squeaked, Thunder and Lightning came up beside him, Rex heard, and felt footsteps of another large dinosaur, they seemed to be running, gently shaking the hatchlings off, Rex stood up

"Ice!" Rex trotted up to her, behind him the three hatchlings jumped from one of his footprints to another, staying clear of most of the ash, even thought it was clear they hadn't been staying out of it, Ice smiled, all four of the Tyrannosaurid's scales were covered in ash, and the ash was piled up everywhere, with footprints all over, a large imprint in the gathering ash showed were Rex was lying "Your back!" Rex purred, the Tarbosaurus nodded, she couldn't talk with Wildfire in her jaws. Ice crossed the clearing, and ducked behind the waterfall, she gently set Wildfire down, the Tarbosaurus hatchling's breathing was quick and uneven, Rex walked up behind them, he nudged the hatchling "She's very cold" He noticed, stepping back

"Yeah, it's a good thing I found her, any longer and she may have suffocated in this ash" Ice settled down, slightly worn out from running "Were are Storm, Thunder, and Lightning?" Ice looked out of the cave, she had seen the hatchlings following Rex when she arrived, and she didn't want them out in the ash any longer.

"Here we are!" Storm announced, he trotted into the cave, Thunder and Lightning followed him, they all were dripping wet, flakes of ash stuck to their scales but their colors were more visible "We took a swim"

"No we didn't, you pushed us in the pond!" Thunder squeaked, she glared at her brother, she turned her head to Ice, for the first time the three sibling saw Wildfire "Who is that?"

"This is Wildfire, she is your new sister" Ice purred, Lightning looked up at Rex

"Did Daddy agree?" She asked, Rex rolled his eyes and nodded

"Yes, Lightning, I agreed" Rex lowered his head and nuzzled Lightning. Storm trotted up to the newborn

"Can she come play with us?" He crouched down, so his chin was on the ground and he was at Wildfire's level

"No, not yet" Ice gently nudged her son back "Let her sleep" Wildfire stirred, she yawned and opened her eyes, they were blue, like Ice's great-grandmother, Blue-eyes, Wildfire's eyes widened when she saw Storm in front of her, despite everything she had been through she scrambled to her feet and jumped back, away from Storm.

"Come on, Storm" Rex nudged Storm back to his sisters "You three should get some sleep"

"But we want to play more!" Thunder protested, Lightning was about to agree when she was interrupted by a yawn. The three siblings curled up by their mother. Ice nuzzled them, Rex glanced outside, the ash was still falling, but it seemed to be getting lighter.


	16. Hunting

"Hey! Wait up!" Wildfire complained, she raced after the older hatchlings. Rex had returned with prey, the four hatchlings tumbled around his feet, wanting to be the first to start eating, the adult T-rex carefully set the kill down, it was a young Torosaurus,instantly the hatchlings jumped onto it, tearing into the corpse, gulping down the meat hungrily

"They get hungrier each day" Rex carefully stepped around the feeding frenzy, Wildfire tumbled into his leg, she sprang up and jumped back onto the prey.

"Yeah" Ice smiled as she watched them, Thunder and Lightning were fighting over a piece of meat, growling at each other

"We may have to start hunting together again" Rex nuzzled Ice "It will still be a few years before they can hunt"

"Daddy! Storm will not share!" Wildfire ran up to Rex, she looked up at him "He keeps pushing me off the kill!" She glanced over her shoulder at Storm, the oldest hatchling snarled and went back to eating, Rex walked back over to the kill, Wildfire following him

"Let your sister eat too" Rex looked down at Storm

"But she is getting in my way!" Storm complained "She is too small"

"And why does that mean you can keep her from eating?" Rex lowered his head so he was about the same level as his son, Storm paused for a minute, he shook his head

"No, I guess not" Storm mumbled, he glared at Rex. Ice rolled her eyes, walking over to them she nudged Storm to the side and tore off a chunk of flesh off the kill, stepping back she dropped it at her feet

"Wildfire, you can eat this" Ice nodded to the meat, Wildfire looked up at her and scrambled over to the meat, she purred and tore into it.

"How did you know that would work?" Rex asked, he walked over to her

"My mother used to do it when my sisters wouldn't let my brother eat anything" Ice grind "Plus I don't think we need a fight between you and Storm" Storm looked up when he heard his name, when nothing else happened he went back to eating.

The sun was rising, it was a clear day but clouds loomed in the distance, Ice looked away from the clouds, she had been hunting in the rain for years now, she had no reason to be afraid, or even nerves, but out of habit she lifted her foot an inch or two off the ground.

"Come on, Ice we should get going" Rex sounded impatient, standing at the edge of the forest he waited for her, Ice looked down, the four hatchlings looked back

"Don't worry about us, Mommy!" Storm squeaked "I will keep my sisters safe"

"I know you will" Ice purred, she nuzzled them, it would be the first time they would be alone since they hatched two weeks ago, Ice stood, she walked to Rex, he nudged her

"They will be fine, don't worry" He purred "Come on, we should get going before the rain comes" Ice nodded, Rex raised his head, the scent of prey, Torosaurus was in the air, neither one of the adults were surprised, it was the herd Rex had hunted yesterday, to slow, or lazy to leave.

The two theropods trotted along, side by side until they reached the edge of the forest, in the distance mountains rose, they were half hidden by fog, Ice sniffed the air, it smelled heavy with rain, Ice looked at Rex, the T-rex nodded to the herd in front of them, he quietly circled around, keeping to the forest so he didn't spook the herd. Ice watched, waiting for his cue to attack, the herd continued to graze, they didn't seem to be worried, a few young calves frolic around the adults, Ice felt her mouth start to water as she watched the herd, her eyes darted to Rex, he nodded and Ice sprang into action, she ran at the herd, roaring, the herd bunched together, they stampeded away from Ice, the Tarbosaurus followed them, she didn't run at full speed, but she keeped in the back, keeping the herd running, a old Torosaurus bull with a wounded leg started to lag behind, Ice slowed down, the earth shook as Rex charged past, he nipped at the bull, herding it away from the others, Ice charged forwards, running at top speed she ran along the other side of the Torosaurus, the bull couldn't run fast and slid to a halt, he swung his head from side to side, trying to keep Rex and Ice in his sight at the same time, Ice backed away, making it look like she was retreating, it worked, the Torosaurus spun to face Rex, he lowered his horns, even though they were for decoration they could inflict nasty wounds, the T-rex roared, he was keeping the Torosaurus attention so Ice could attack from behind. The Torosaurus bull charged, Rex stepped sided, the Torosaurus horns missed him by inches, the bull spun around, the injured leg slowed his attack down, Ice charged from behind, she bit down on the Torosaurus frill, the bull reared and shook it's head, trying to break free, Rex attacked from the side, his jaws closing around the Torosaurus neck, the bull reared and bucked, trying to break free, but it was already as good as dead. Rex used his powerful jaws to crush the throat of the Torosaurus, it squealed and fell limp, the T-rex looked up, blood stained his muzzle

"I almost forgot how good you are at hunting" He commented, Ice smiled, thunder rumbled from the sky, Ice instinctively crouched down, her eyes staring at the sky, the long hidden fear came flooding back, the pain and sadness with it, she felt warmth on her side, she tore her gaze from the sky, Rex was next to her, he seemed concerned about her, the T-rex nuzzled her neck, Ice shook her head, trying to bury the memories

"Come on, we should get back" Ice bit into the Torosaurus' neck, she was surprised how heavy it was

"Do you need help?" Rex asked, he tipped his head to one side, ready to grab the back of the corps, Ice thoght about it

"No, I think I got it" Ice managed to say from around the kill, Rex nodded, Ice took a step forwards, it was odd that she couldn't see the ground, feeling for every step she carefully picked her way back to the forest, Rex walked by her side. A fat raindrop fell onto Ice's snout, she set the kill down, panting, more rain drops fell on her, within seconds it was a down poor, Ice shook water off "Great, rain" She growled, Rex picked up the Torosaurus corps, he steadily walked forwards, Ice followed him.

Rex's powerful jaws and strong neck could handle the weight of the Torosaurus better then Ice, allowing Rex to walk more confidently through the forest, but he didn't see the small dip in front of him, the rain turned the sides into slippery mud, before Ice could warn him he slid down, stumbling to get his balance, the T-rex's foot got caught in a tree root, his ankle twisted at an odd angle, Rex dropped the kill, the pain came as a shock, he snarled and bit through the root, but his ankle hurt everytime he stepped, Rex ignored the pain he picked up the Torosaurus, without a word he continued to walk towards the clearing, down playing the pain. Ice walked next to him, she knew he was hurt, she grabbed part of the kill, so Rex didn't have to carry it on his own.

By the time they reached the clearing, Rex's ankle was starting to swell, but he still didn't say anything about it, Ice let go of the kill as they entered the clearing, she looked around the clearing, at first she didn't see any of the hatchlings, but their scent came from behind the waterfall, Ice walked to the entrance, it was too dark to see them, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see the four hatchlings, they were cowered in the far end of the cave, Storm was in front, he looked terrified but he was trying acting brave, and protect his sisters, none of them realized that the dripping wet Tarbosaurus standing in the cave entrance was their mother, the rain was hiding her sent to well, Ice stepped into the cave, Storm snarled, showing his tiny hatchling teeth, Ice shook the water off, her sent returned almost immediately, the four hatchlings calmed down, they walked up to her, greeting their mother with purrs and chirps, they could also smell the Torosaurus blood on her, that excited them, Ice turned around, her hatchlings following her closely into the downpour, lightning forked across the sky, lighting up the clearing, Rex was sitting by the carcass, his muzzle dripping with water. Thunder rumbled in the sky and the four hatchlings hid under Ice, afraid of a monster coming for them, Ice purred, she remembered her first thunderstorm, Slash and her had hidden under a log until their mother had convinced them to leave the shelter. Rex stood up, slightly favoring one leg, but still he didn't say anything, Ice walked up to him, the three, two week old hatchlings, and Wildfire, keeped pace with her, hiding from the rain as if it was acid. Ice stood next to Rex, the T-rex tore off a piece of meat, he gulped it down, Ice began eating next to him, in the shelter of the adults the hatchlings started to eat as well, the kill had enough meat to feed all of them, so none of them had to worry about not getting enough to eat.


End file.
